This invention relates to reusable bags which are used primarily for, but not limited to holding groceries.
Grocery stores and supermarkets commonly supply consumers with bags to carry items they have purchased. Traditionally, these bags have been for one-time usage. In recent years concern for the environment has given rise to a need for reusable bags. While reusable bags have experienced a moderate increase in usage, the lack of change in shopper behavior has prevented the bags from becoming the preferred method for transporting groceries and other items. The most critical behavior change required to increase the popularity of reusable bags is for the shopper to remember to bring the reusable bags with them on their shopping trip.
Storing reusable bags is inconvenient. Unless buying limited quantities, shoppers can require anywhere from four to twelve reusable bags or even more. Reusable bags tend to be bulky and take up considerable space in vehicle storage areas, closets, or wherever they are being stored when not in use. The most common reusable bags are also unwieldy and have no good containment method—even when multiple reusable bags are stored within a single reusable bag, a considerable amount of space is required and may be unappealing to the shopper. Inconvenient storage methods perpetuate the lack of changes in shopper behavior.
Another problem of the reusable bag is the quantity of bags a shopper requires in order to carry all of their items. As with the traditional one-time use paper and plastic bags, the typical reusable bag offers just slightly more carrying capacity than the one-time use paper or plastic bag. The similarity in capacity between the reusable bag and the traditional paper or plastic bag means the shopper must bring a quantity of reusable bags that is nearly one-to-one in ratio with the number of paper or plastic bags he or she would otherwise use.
Yet another problem with reusable bags is they are typically made from flexible material and lack a rigid support structure to be self-supporting. As a result the contents of reusable bags tend to spill out while in transport.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a reusable bag which will change shopper behavior by being accessible when needed; collapsing to a flattened state to store neatly and efficiently; having an increased carrying capacity to reduce the overall number of reusable shopping bags needed; having a rigid self-supporting structure to prevent spillage and enable stacking; and decreasing the number of trips (e.g. from the vehicle to the house) to unload the reusable bags.